Piaule Strives for the Perfect Ceramic Set

Perfection takes time. Even in this fast-paced world, finding or creating the perfect product doesn’t come easy. Housewares brand, Piaule believes that they shouldn’t “add more waste to the world unless it’s truly necessary.” Instead of rolling out a whole collection of handmade ceramics, they’ve painstakingly developed a process of creating the ideal tableware set. “We did a lot of testing to see what felt good in our hands, what functioned well in daily use, with sticky food or hot drinks or soupy recipes, and what seemed like the perfect size,” said Nolan McHugh, founder of Piaule.

Recently, they’ve put forth their fourth product release titled “04 Vessels” which includes a bowl and a vase. The bowl is as wide as the vase is tall. The vase doubles as a pitcher, depending on your needs. Made with the same aesthetics in mind as the tableware set, you can grow your collection.

Series 04

Each piece is carefully handmade in the United States by a ceramicist working in partnership with Piaule. “We work with a ceramicist who is much more skilled than us,” said McHugh. Found on Instagram, the ceramicist was chosen for the project for her work with porcelain. They said of her work, ” She’s able to create porcelain shapes that feel utterly luxurious but still sensitive and thoughtful.” And indeed, the shapes are organic and asymmetrical making a tactile quality. The unglazed porcelain exterior has a matte texture which is almost velvety and sensuous.

Series 02

Piaule doesn’t just have ceramics…

While Piaule does not specialize particularly in ceramics, they strive to create products that meet certain criteria, “Beautiful, useful, long-lasting, and sensuous.” Last year they released a line of drinking glasses made from paper-thin hardened crystal. The crystal, though ultra-fine, is durable enough to withstand daily use.

Piaule’s ultra-fine hardened crystal glass

Each product is vetted through a strenuous testing process. They have worked on bed sheets for over two years and still have not released this product because they don’t want to rush things. Currently, they are in the process of developing several products including includes bedding, fragrance, furniture, and lighting but don’t expect anything too soon, McHugh tells Cool Hunter, “Production is painstaking because Trevor and I are so particular about what we like and we aren’t willing to settle just for the sake of rolling out new products.”